3wt7X
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2008
- Messages
- 704
I made the trip up to the Upper Delaware system for a few days with new fishing buddy. Overall, the weather has been pretty cold up there this year, and things have been behind, but the forcast looked good, for the days we were fishing, so I figured the Hedricksons would be in full force.
On day one, we arrived at about 1030 am, and we made a quick stop, at the fly shop, to get an idea of where to look for rising trout. They pointed us to the lower West Branch, so that is where we started. The water was flowing around 700 cfs, and wading conditions were good. Wednesday was a sunny day, with temps nearing 70 degrees. The water temp was hovering around the upper forties and it was windy, on and off. As far as hatches, we had chimarra (black caddis), some quills and both male and female hendricksons. The caddis were the strongest hatch by far on Wednesday, and the Hendricksons did not really get going too strong. We stuck some smaller fish on top, in a long riffle, and I moved a couple fish on a caddis pupa nymph. They dropped the flows towards the evening hours, for a dam repair, which I believe messed up the surface activity. We came off the river happy for getting into some fish, but eager for some big ones.
Day two, we stayed with the West Branch. We got an early start, and were on the water at about 0700 am. I figured that we would slow strip some streamers through the deeper holes, but to my surprize there was an early morning (0800 am), olive hatch and two heads were coming up in rythme. I stuck the nearest one, on a small parachute pattern, and he ended up being a healthy 16 incher. I set my buddy up on the second one, and he made a really nice presentation a couple casts in. The big snout took, he set, and nothing, not even a sting. Oh well, the adrenaline was up, and we took a lunch break. The evening hatch was pretty darn impressive. Same bugs as Wednesday, only a lot more of them, and rising fish. It took a few hours of duns floating down before the fish got on them, but once it happened we had a solid three hours of risers. I took four that evening, with the biggest being a hair under 21 inches. More enjoyable, was watching my buddy stick his first big brownie on a dry fly. He hit a 19 inch fish right on the bank with a CDC Hendrickson emerger.
Friday morning, we nymphed a little more, but unfortnately, we had to leave around noon to head home. Overall, it was an amazing trip on a beautiful trout stream. I really enjoyed introducing my buddy to the Delaware, and for being a guy that has only been fly fishing for a year and a half, I was impressed that he got the job done on a tough river. This weekend should be nuts with the "one fly" competition, but it looks like it is shaping up to be a good spring.
On day one, we arrived at about 1030 am, and we made a quick stop, at the fly shop, to get an idea of where to look for rising trout. They pointed us to the lower West Branch, so that is where we started. The water was flowing around 700 cfs, and wading conditions were good. Wednesday was a sunny day, with temps nearing 70 degrees. The water temp was hovering around the upper forties and it was windy, on and off. As far as hatches, we had chimarra (black caddis), some quills and both male and female hendricksons. The caddis were the strongest hatch by far on Wednesday, and the Hendricksons did not really get going too strong. We stuck some smaller fish on top, in a long riffle, and I moved a couple fish on a caddis pupa nymph. They dropped the flows towards the evening hours, for a dam repair, which I believe messed up the surface activity. We came off the river happy for getting into some fish, but eager for some big ones.
Day two, we stayed with the West Branch. We got an early start, and were on the water at about 0700 am. I figured that we would slow strip some streamers through the deeper holes, but to my surprize there was an early morning (0800 am), olive hatch and two heads were coming up in rythme. I stuck the nearest one, on a small parachute pattern, and he ended up being a healthy 16 incher. I set my buddy up on the second one, and he made a really nice presentation a couple casts in. The big snout took, he set, and nothing, not even a sting. Oh well, the adrenaline was up, and we took a lunch break. The evening hatch was pretty darn impressive. Same bugs as Wednesday, only a lot more of them, and rising fish. It took a few hours of duns floating down before the fish got on them, but once it happened we had a solid three hours of risers. I took four that evening, with the biggest being a hair under 21 inches. More enjoyable, was watching my buddy stick his first big brownie on a dry fly. He hit a 19 inch fish right on the bank with a CDC Hendrickson emerger.
Friday morning, we nymphed a little more, but unfortnately, we had to leave around noon to head home. Overall, it was an amazing trip on a beautiful trout stream. I really enjoyed introducing my buddy to the Delaware, and for being a guy that has only been fly fishing for a year and a half, I was impressed that he got the job done on a tough river. This weekend should be nuts with the "one fly" competition, but it looks like it is shaping up to be a good spring.
